Leaving
by spacEnigma83
Summary: James is pretty set on going back to their world but even if Snow wants to go back family is the only thing she will base her decision on. Snow explains things to Emma which causes her to harbor some intense feelings towards her father. Not your average "Charming family" story here. ** Sorry followers... I had issues and had to do a fresh submit.**
1. Chapter 1

**** After watching Episode 2X13 "Tiny" I was left sort of angry and frustrated. Mostly the discussion between Charming and Snow about wanting to go back to their own world is what bothered me. This is not the story I intended. I had an idea, talked it out in text, and now it's something else entirely but maybe worth the read. Who knows... but here it is anyway.**

**Also... I normally provide a timeline but for this one just use your imagination if you please. :)****

**Leaving**

Emma was very aware of the fact that her parents were not speaking to one another. The very few times she had seen them together lately they were very quick to greet and separate. It was a big change in her mind. To go from the epitome of true love to what resembled the onset of a marital separation. She decided that her parents were more than capable of working out their issues like adults and made no mention of it but walking in to the apartment now and finding Snow appearing to have an inner battle of sorts was too much to take in. It was time to get some answers.

"Okay, I give up." Emma says as she walks across the room to take a seat next to a very quiet and visibly depressed Snow. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Snow says flatly as she stares off into space.

"Something's bothering you... what is it?" Emma asks as she turns to face the other woman. "Is it because of James? "

"No. I'm just..." She sighs, "I'm tired. I should probably take a nap." She starts to make a motion with the intension of standing but Emma grabs at her upper arm and keeps her in place.

"No no... " Emma presses. "You've been like this for days now. You've never been this quiet... at least not around me and I don't like it."

"I'm sorry. It... it has nothing to do with... well... maybe it might..."

"To do with what? Me?" Her tone takes on a note of panic. "Did... I do something?" She asks suddenly feeling responsible for Snow's behavior.

"Oh no Emma..." Snow rushes to console, her eyes widening at the pang of guilt she feels for worrying her daughter. "You haven't done anything. It's just your father..."

"What did he do?"

"No..." She sighs in frustration. She does not want to explain what is bothering her, not to her own daughter, but the way Emma is taking things she is going to have to clear this up now. "He didn't do anything." She takes a deep breath while she tries to think of how to approach this conversation. "Emma when you were gone with Gold some things happened. We... uh... well there was the Giant that ran amuck in town and he got into a argument with your father thinking he was actually your fathers twin brother. After that situation was cleared up the giant told us he had a seedling to grow some magic beans. Somehow..." She clings harder to the pillow she had been sitting with, "Somehow we started talking about going back home to our world. Your father... he... well he really wants to go back. I mean it wasn't the first time James brought up the subject but it was the first time the possibility was there... that we might be able to go back."

It was Emma who now stared off into space as she tried to wrap her head around what Snow was trying to explain. "So... so you want to go back then?" Emma finally asks.

"When James first brought it up... it was when I suggested we move to a new home. He would find something wrong with every house we looked at. Finally he broke down and told me... how he felt we didn't belong here and he wanted to go back to what he knows."

Emma pulls a leg up underneath her as she turns to face Snow and asks once again, "... but do _you_ want to go back?"

"I... when the giant Anton... I mean Tiny, as the dwarves have taken to call him, when he said that if he grew these beans and that it might get us back home your fathers eyes lit up at that revelation. When we were alone together and I told him how it was fun for me to have a new adventure he mentioned that we could have adventures like that back home like we use to. He's been pushing and pushing and..."

"What did you say to him?" Emma changes her question in an attempt to finally get an answer to it.

Snow reaches out to take Emma's hand and squeeze it between her own two hands. "I... I told him that we belong with our family. Wherever they are is where we need to be."

Emma takes a deep breath. She is frustrated with how Snow is avoiding answering her question. She doesn't want to get angry. She doesn't want to lash out so she stays silent for a few minutes before she turns and sees that Snow has been watching her this whole time. "Well... what did he say?" She asks instead.

"He..." _Don't do this_, Snow thought to herself. If She finished this statement she knew Emma would feel guilty. The fact of the matter was the only reason she was saying no was because of Emma. She didn't want to be back home if Emma wasn't there but she also knew how Charming felt. _What do I say to her? _

"Just say whatever it is you're NOT saying, or at the very least answer my question." Emma says with an exasperated tone.

"Emma..." She lets out another one of those frustrated sighs. "I told him that I didn't want to go back because I didn't think you would want to come. I wasn't about to leave... not after I finally found you. He was upset that I was worried about you and he said that you could take care of yourself..."

"Well he's right!" Emma shouts as she stands up and looks down at Snow. "I'm a grown woman! You don't have to worry about me! Why do you think that keeping things to yourself is what's best? Just tell me... just answer me... do you want to go back?!" She didn't mean to get angry but she couldn't hold it in.

"Emma..." Snow quietly pleads.

"Do you?" Emma asks in a low voice clearly trying to compose herself.

"No." She whispers.

"Liar." Emma says almost in a growl.

"Emma I'm not..." Snow says shaking her head.

"Liar." She says again.

"Why are you so angry?! Where is this coming from?"

"I... I don't know." She says hunching her shoulders and shutting her eyes. "I just... I don't want you and James to fight because of me. If you want to go back... well you should." She says with a shrug but her voice is a quiet whisper. "I just... I don't know if that's the kind of world I want to live in."

"Well I don't want to leave you here. If you stay I want to stay."

"... and then what? You lose your prince charming and your happy ending because of me?" She asks with a pained look. "You already know the first chance he gets he's leaving. His mind is made up and from what I've learned about this family is that once our mind is made up there is not a big chance of changing it." She says with a sad smile. "You can't pick me over him. You can't."

Snow leans forward and takes Emma by the hand. She pulls her to sit back down next to her and when she does she places her arm around her shoulder. She doesn't say anything for a few seconds because she wants Emma to feel comforted. "I have picked you over him so many times already Emma... and you're right. Once we make up our minds there's not much of a chance of changing it. You let me worry about your father. As for me... while yes I would like to go back home I belong where you and Henry are. I don't need to have a run in with Ogres, have death defying adventures, or battle an Evil Queen but I do need my family. That subject is not up for debate." She says definitively waiting to see if Emma is going to accept this answer.

Emma doesn't say anything at all. She simply tilts her head to lean on Snow's shoulder as Snow rests her head atop hers returning the gesture.

****I messed up somewhere. This wasn't really the story I intended so now I'm stuck and don't know where to go. Ha ha... how embarrassing... but let me try something with a new chapter. ****


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Snow decided that a nap would do her some good after all. The talk she had just had with Emma left her worn out for the moment.

Emma on the other hand needed to get out of the apartment. The revelation that her parents wanted to leave left her angry and on edge. The anger she had expressed with Snow was very misplaced. She wasn't angry with Snow... she was angry with someone else entirely.

She walked out of the apartment and made her way down the hallway of the building. As she stepped out the door she saw the _someone_ she was angry with coming up the walkway.

"Emma. Are you headed somewhere?" Charming asks with a small smile.

"I should probably be asking _you_ that question." She answers sharply.

The pointed look and tone do not go unnoticed by Charming. "Did I miss... something? What's going on?"

"I had a talk with Snow. Seems you are really hell bent on leaving and going back to your world." She presses as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Well... yes, I have been thinking about going back but Emma..."

She does not allow him to finish his sentence, "So it's true... So if you had found a way to leave before I got back from my trip with Gold then you would have left me behind without even a second thought? You would have left me here... left me behind... _again_?"

"Emma... I didn't think..." James tries to argue but she isn't giving him much of a chance to defend himself.

"No. You didn't think did you? I mean... what do you care anyway right? You sent me in to this world without a second thought so why would you start now right?" She was doing a horrible job of holding back her tears but she didn't care.

"No. Emma... stop." He reaches out and tries to hold her arms but she steps away.

"Don't touch me! I can't believe this... NO! You know what? I can! I mean I know I'm not the daughter you were expecting. Hell... I'm not a child anymore so I can see how you don't feel the need to worry about how I feel or what I think about all this but you know it's not fair to make Snow choose between you and me. You can't make her do that. You're hurting her by choosing this path. You can't decide things like that on your own. She's your wife! Shouldn't she get a say in whether you both stay or go?"

"This isn't the life I was expecting to live with her!" He finally manages to say. "In our world we took back our kingdom... together. We made plans to have a family... together. Now we're stuck here in a world that isn't ours with a daughter who doesn't even need us anymore. I didn't want this life." He says pleading with his eyes hoping Emma will understand him.

"Life is full of obstacles... and what... you just want to run away?" She asks as her voice breaks a bit.

"I just want to go back to what I know. This... this is not our life. This is not where we belong. We were supposed to be together... raise you in our own world, be a family in our own kingdom, and now there is a chance for us to make that happen."

"You're asking for the impossible. Things will not go back to the way they once were. You can physically go back yes... but it's not going to be the same. You have to decide now. You have to deal with what's in front of you." She watches as he takes a deep breath averting his eyes and then she realizes, "You've already made up your mind haven't you?"

"I will go back.. to what I know." He says definitively and he intends on walking in to the apartment but she grabs his arm in a firm hold which garners her some eye contact.

"You're going to try to leave her here aren't you?" Emma asks in a whisper.

"I can't make her change her mind. If she doesn't want to come..."

"Then you stay. It's as simple as that." Emma presses almost presenting this as a challenge to him. "She loves you. If you go without her... it'll break her heart."

"If she truly loves me she will come back with me. What you need to think about is whether that will be with you and Henry or without you both."

"No..." She starts to say and then repeats forcefully, "NO! You don't get to put this on me. I'm not the one pushing her away. I spent my whole life waiting, wishing... hoping... to find you someday and now that we're together it feels like we're further apart than we've ever been. If she really wants to go back then I can live with that but you're not going to ask me to do what you are doing. I will not make her choose!" Emma struggles to say as tears spill from her eyes. "You know what!?" She says harshly. "No matter who you are here or there... David, James, or Charming... you just continue to hurt her don't you? You don't even deserve her." She says poking a finger to his chest and shaking her head in disgust.

Charming remains silent as he watches her walk away.

****That was accidentally short. What's funny is I don't know where all this angst is coming from. I guess I got some issues going on. How weird is that? I really need to fix this. lol****


	3. Chapter 3

****So here is another chapter. I'll be honest this is really great... getting to yell at people in text. ********

**Chapter 3**

James wasn't sure if he should chase after Emma and talk things through with her or go inside and talk to Snow. He opted for the closest option and made his way in to the apartment.

Still infused with unspent anger he slams the door shut behind him as he walks in which forces Snow to sit up in the bed where she had been attempting to take her nap.

She watches as he makes his way to stand in the living room and looks up to meet her eyes. She notices his eyes are glazed over and quietly whispers her question, "James, Is everything alright?"

"I don't know. You tell me." He says in a low grumble.

Snow gapes her mouth and starts to get out of the bed to stand beside it. "What happened?" She asks with worry making her way toward him but stops short as she sees the anger in his eyes.

"What did you tell Emma?!" He demands with wide eyes gesturing a hand in the air towards the door he just walked through.

"Oh, I just... I told her how you want to go back home." Snow says blinking, taken aback by his tone. "She didn't know and she was concerned..."

"Snow, what goes on between us should stay between us. She was yelling at me outside! I didn't even get a chance to tell her what I thought. I was completely blindsided. You had no right to tell her about this!"

"No... right?" She says through a grimace. "No right to share with our daughter our thoughts on going back to a land we once came from?" Snow proposes with a shake of her head.

"I'm just saying that this was something we were discussing... _you_ and _me_. It had nothing to do with her. When the time came and the opportunity to leave arose we could have told her and Henry together. You had no right to make the decision to tell her on your own!"

"You mean the way you seem to have already decided on your own that you want to go back?" She shakes her head as she tries to finish her statement. "I know that you feel like we don't belong here but why are you so adamant about leaving with or without us? You'd leave me? You'd leave your daughter and grandson? Does family mean nothing to you in all of this?"

"Snow..." He sighs unable to finish his statement. He's tired of fighting already. "This isn't what I wanted..."

"And you think this is what I want? I don't want us to be a divided family but the way you're carrying on lately... it seems like you don't care about anyone else but yourself right now. It's not just _you _that you need to consider here. What we choose to do now affects them as well."

"I'm not just thinking of me here. I..." He tries to say in defense but is cut off.

"All you think about these days... all of your focus is on those _stupid beans_ you have the dwarves tending to. You barely speak to me and when you do you only talk about going back and when you say that this isn't what you wanted..." The tears start to spring forth from her eyes, "You might as well be talking about me."

"That's not how I meant it to come out. You're putting words in my mouth." He stops speaking to compose himself afraid he'll regret speaking out in anger. He takes a deep breath before he adds, "We don't have much of a reason to stick around here anymore Snow."

Suddenly she's angry and the pain comes out in the form of shouting. "Love should be enough of a reason for you to stay James! The love of your family. The love of you wife. My love. Is that not reason even enough for you anymore?" She stays silent for a moment before she continues. "Do you even love _me_ anymore?" She asks squinting trying not to let tears blur her vision.

He turns away giving her his back as he walks towards the wall of the apartment pausing to stare at it for a few minutes. Finally he turns back around to meet her eyes in all her brokenness. "How can you even think that?" He finally asks.

"What else am I supposed to think James? You haven't even bothered to ask me... to really ask me if I want to go back to that world or not."

"Well do you?" He offers pointedly.

"That's beside the point now." She says with a smug frown suggesting it's too late to be asking this question.

"Well what the hell _do_ you want then?!" He says raising his voice. "... because quite frankly I'm fed up trying to figure that out for myself."

"Are you now? Fed up?" She asks with eyebrows raised. "You know what? Just get out." She says raising a hand pointing to the door. "I don't even know who you are right now and I don't feel like talking to a complete stranger about what I want or need in this or any other world." When he stands there staring at her dumfounded she stresses her words, "Get... Out."

He squares his jaw before trudging out the door slamming it shut on his way out causing Snow to flinch. She stands in the middle of the apartment for a long time until she finally falls to her knees and cries to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It's very late in the evening when Emma comes back to the apartment with Henry in tow. They silently walk in together as Emma had explained to Henry how she had an argument with her father.

She knew there might have been some aftermath if James had stuck around the apartment after she walked away from him and she warned Henry to be on his best behavior.

Emma learned very early on that everyone deals with confrontation differently. She herself had developed the persona of an emotional runner, often choosing to run away instead of face certain obstacles head on but her time spent in Storybrooke had transformed her. As far as she was concerned running was no longer an option, not after a lifetime of searching and finally finding her family.

It was ironic then how this was the argument she made with her own father. She accused him of wanting to run away from the obstacles in front of him now. She accused him of a great many things actually when he has never really given her cause to do so. She knew a few apologies would be in order then next time she saw him but apologizing to someone was not something she had ever been good at. Add to that the fact that the person she now owed said apology to was her long lost father Prince Charming and you have the ultimate obstacle and one she would gladly take on if given the chance.

Henry went upstairs right away to stay out of everyone's hair as promised while Emma stuck around downstairs. She made her way to the now dark living room. The only light in this part of the apartment was the lamp on Snow's nightstand shining through the curtain that closed off the bedroom. She pushed the curtain aside to find Snow lying down in bed facing away from the entryway.

While the thought occurred to her that James' side of the bed was empty she was more focused on the way Snow was lying down wrapped with her arms around her middle as if she were in pain. She walked around to that side of the bed so that she could get a better look at her.

It was with a furrowed brow and slow movements that she stepped closer and this is when she saw the tearstained face paired with the red swollen eyes. She stops stunned in place by the site. She lets out an audible gasp as Snow meets her eyes. "What..." She pauses afraid to finish her question. She swallows hard before she finally does ask, "What happened?" When Snow does not answer right away she panics and only thinks the worst has taken place. "Did he hurt you?" She demands as her voice hitches.

Snow rolls over on to her back, pulling up a second pillow so that she is sitting up higher. She shakes her head before saying, "Not physically if that's what you are asking." Her voice is weak and it is now evident that she has spent much of the evening crying.

Emma moves to sit down on the edge of the bed to face Snow. She places a hand on Snow's forearm needing something to hold on to as she waits on her mother to offer up any information.

Snow remains silent and does not meet Emma's gaze. She knows that Emma is expecting some sort of revelation but she simply does not have the energy. She's broken. She's tired. She's mostly tired of fighting as she has said aloud a time or two before.

Emma stares at Snow waiting on her to return her gaze, trying to will her into action with her thoughts. _"Look at me," _She thinks to herself and when Snow does not she reaches out to place a hand to her cheek to get the eye contact she is craving. Emma lifts Snow's head but her eyes fall everywhere but where she is needing them to. Finally she whispers her request, "Look at me."

She holds that gaze and sees nothing but pain. Her best friend turned mother, lying broken and defeated before her. While she was expecting the worst before she walked in to the apartment nothing could have prepared her for this. Since the curse broke she had grown accustomed to the strength and sureness that was the very essence of Snow White herself. This woman before her was anything but.

Emma cannot take it any longer. She bends forward so that she is pressing her cheek to Snow's chest, tucking her hands beneath her waist. She feels Snow wrap her arms around her and hold her close. They remain silent for some time using this gesture to comfort each other until finally Emma whispers, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." She whispers back. "You did nothing wrong. I'm alright. I'm just tired." Emma remembered her offering this same excuse before all hell broke loose.

"I should have just let you take that nap... then none of this would have happened." Emma offers.

"No. We needed to get some of these things out in to the open. He needed to know that the choices he is making affect us all. He has a choice to make now. If he comes back then we'll know where he stands and we can move on from there."

Now _that_ sounded like the Snow she knew but did she say... "_If_... he comes back?"

"The argument we had earlier... it had so much more to do with than just leaving. I can't think of a time we've ever had that kind of an argument. I don't know what to expect from him right now."

Emma turns her head so that she can rest her chin on Snow's chest and look up into her eyes, "I accused him of running away which is what I used to do." She quietly sighs before she finishes. "The only reason _I'm_ not running anymore is because of you and Henry."

Snow gives her a sad smile as she thinks to herself... _and according to James "We don't have much of a reason to stick around anymore."_

****I think I'm starting to depress myself but I think I'll also try and figure out how to fix this mess I made. Thanks for sticking around. :)****


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After Snow had basically kicked him out of the apartment James finds himself making his way to Granny's Diner.

He walked over to the counter to order himself a cup of coffee, and sat quietly trying to figure out how he got in to this mess with his family. He spent a good half hour sitting in silence paying no mind to the other patrons of the diner.

The ding of the bell above the door is heard indicating someone new had entered the establishment. He sees a figure making their way toward him and they sit down in the bar stool beside him. "Are you having a bad night Prince?" Anton asks leaning over to address the quiet man.

"You can say that again... and you don't have to address me as Prince." He says quietly.

"Well what _should_ I call you then?" He asks with a playful shrug.

He pauses for a moment to consider this question. "You know... I don't even know who I am anymore." He lets a low chuckle escape him. "Here in Storybrooke I was David Nolan. In our old world I assumed the role of my brother James, the Prince, and to my wife I have always been Charming." He says as his face goes void of expression, an involuntary reaction to mentioning his wife after a day like this.

"That is a long list of titles to choose from." Anton says with a small smile.

"What brings you to Granny's this evening Anton?" He asks wanting to change the subject.

"I love being a dwarf. I really do." He starts to say with a grin, "It's nice having brothers again but after spending a few years in solitude I learned to appreciate quiet moments alone." He looks over at James before asking, "Did I interrupt your... quiet moment?"

"Oh no... I just... needed to clear my head. I wasn't sure where to go and I ended up here. It's one of the few places in this town I feel comfortable."

"Is uh... is everything alright?" Anton presses. "You seem troubled."

James smiles at the childlike way the question came out of the burly man. He takes a moment before he changes the subject again to say, "I'm sorry... that my brother took your family from you Anton."

"You have apologized before and really there is no need for it. It wasn't your doing. In all honesty it was my fault." He says with a frown.

"I don't understand. How was any of that _your_ fault?" James asks in confusion.

"All I ever thought was that I didn't fit in at home. I was looking for a place to be comfortable, a place where I felt like I belonged but then I realized, much too late, that I had always been where I needed to be. I needed to be where my family was but I made the choice to lead strangers to my home and... that one bad decision caused me to lose everything. My bad decision changed the fate of my family. It was something I never considered and that hard lesson is something I will carry with me always."

James shuts his eyes at hearing these words not liking how some of this story hit close to home.

"You're lucky you know?" He waits for James to look over at him before he continues. "You have a wife who stands by you, a brave beautiful daughter, and a young healthy grandson. Your life is so full of reason and purpose."

James allows a moment to let this sink in. These were all things he never used to be and seemingly overnight he had, in addition to being a husband, become a father and grandfather. He smiles to himself and inhales deeply to hold back his tears. "Yeah." He finally whispers in reply.

"... and now I have that again. You gave me a second chance at having a family. I have my new brothers and a new purpose. I am exactly where I need to be." He says with a smile.

James remains silent staring down at his now empty coffee mug. So many ideas were running through his head at the moment.

"You know..." Anton interrupts his thoughts. "Those beans my brothers and I have been tending to are coming along nicely. It's only a matter of time until you have the chance to go back to your own world. I bet you really want to get back there huh?"

His face is suddenly serious as he takes this question into consideration. "I do... I did... but..." He shakes his head, "I think I have a few messes to clean up in this world before I can make my way to clean up the messes of that one." His face suddenly lights up with a smile as he starts to stand up. "Thank you."

"For what?" The once gentle giant asks with a furrowed brow.

"For reminding me of where I belong. I have to go..." He says as he pats the bigger man on the back. "Thanks again Anton."

"Actually... do you think you could just stick to calling me Tiny?" He calls out.

He laughs and with a shake of his head replies, "Sure... Tiny." He says with a curt nod. "Have a good evening."

"You too...uh... James?" He says with shrug and a small chuckle. Watching the man walk out into the dark street.

He hurries to get back to the apartment hoping that his family is still awake.

****I'm starting to feel a lot better. I still have some work to do (already in progress) but at least now I can breathe a little easier. :)****


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

James quietly makes his way through the apartment door. It is very dark now as it is just past midnight. He spares a quick glance to the bedroom he and Snow had been sharing and sees that the lamp in there is off.

He makes his way over to a lamp in the living room and switches it on. It sheds enough light in the general area of the bedroom for him to pull the curtain back to see that Emma has come home and is fast asleep in the bed next to Snow.

It made sense that they would comfort each other as it was their shared conversations this very morning that started them on this emotional family rollercoaster.

He stands in the entryway of the bedroom torn between wanting to wake the two women or allowing them to sleep. He had so many things to say to the both of them. _Maybe it can wait until morning. _He thinks to himself turning to walk away.

"Charming?" Snow whispers as she sits up in the bed.

"Yeah." He whispers back as he watches her lean over to look at Emma. She runs a hand through Emma's hair before she slowly gets out of the bed and makes her way to him.

"Charming... I'm sorry..." She starts to say quietly as to not wake Emma.

"No. Don't apologize Snow." He whispers back. "I..." he sighs, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." He says as he takes her hands in to his. "I was a fool to go on this way. I was so busy trying to make myself feel better... trying to figure out where I belonged. I was tired of feeling so useless around here. I wanted to go back home so badly that I didn't stop to consider how this might affect all of us. It just felt like... like the more you both needed me the less I was there for you. I couldn't keep you both safe. I couldn't get you both back home when you went through that portal to our old world... I... I missed being able to take on the challenges of that world. At least that was familiar to me. I felt like that was where I needed to be but I was wrong."

Snow smiles warmly allowing him a moment to gather the rest of his thoughts. "I don't even know what I was thinking. Emma... she's... she was so angry with me and..." he laughs uncomfortably, "I took it out on you and the anger I was harboring really had nothing to do with you telling her about me. I was mad at myself for not being able to handle her reaction to it. Honestly I didn't think it would affect her the way it did. She was basically accusing me of being a coward and wanting to run away. I was and she called me out on that." He shakes his head. "I was ashamed."

"There is no shame in any of that. I know... I know all of this is new to you but you don't have to feel helpless. You don't have to try and fix things on your own. Whatever the obstacle... we take it all on together like we always have and always said we would." She says reaching up to cup his face with one hand.

He smiles and pulls her into his arms. "I'm sorry." He whispers placing a kiss to the top of her head. He holds her a moment longer before he pulls back to say, "You should get back to bed. We all have a lot to talk about in the morning."

Snow looks back in to the bedroom at Emma and faces her husband once again but before she can speak he already knows what she is thinking. "It's alright." He says quietly. "Let her sleep. I'll take the couch tonight."

"Are you sure?" She asks timidly.

"Yeah. I'll be alright. You rest." He says placing a kiss to her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Charming." She says with a small smile as she watches him walk to the couch and sit down. She switches the lamp off in the living room and manages to make her way back to the bed through the darkness.

She settles in to the bed facing Emma and is a little startled when she feels a hand grasp her wrist in the dark. "He came back." She hears Emma whisper sleepily.

"He came back." Snow repeats and Emma can hear the smile in her mother's voice.

"Good... because we a have a huge mess to clean up." Emma adds.

"Yes, but we can do that in the morning. Rest now. He'll be here when we wake up. He's isn't leaving." She says as she reaches out to run a comforting hand down Emma's arm. _He's not leaving. _She reassures herself.

****I'm laughing at myself right now because this isn't where I mean to leave it but I have to say it's not such a bad place to stop if I can't work out the bugs with the next chapter.****


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As the sun slowly rose and peeked through the windows of the bedroom Emma opened her eyes. She looks over to see Snow still fast asleep. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Yesterday had been a long and emotional day for everyone. Sleep had done a lot to ease the tension but suddenly she remembered, _He didn't leave_.

She sits up in bed and looks out towards the living room. She gives one more quick glance over at Snow and decides she would like the chance to speak to Charming on her own. She slowly and quietly crawls out of the bed and tiptoes to the far end of the apartment to where the man occupies the small couch.

He still seems to be sleeping. She decides to sit on the small end table across from him and watches him sleeping. It gave her some time to think of what it was she wanted and needed to say to him. She wanted to apologize first and foremost but she also wanted the chance to understand him.

His suddenly sharp intake of breath startled her from her thoughts. She looks to his face and watches as his eyes slowly flutter open to meet her expectant gaze. "Emma?" he groggily whispers. He sits up slowly, touching his feet down to the floor properly.

"Hey." She whispers in response. "Um..." She shakes her head not sure where to begin.

"Emma I'm sorry." He blurts out.

"No, I'm sorry." She halfheartedly offers. "I was acting like a child throwing a tantrum. I didn't give you a chance to get in a word edgewise."

"Emma..." He sighs. "You..." He shut his eyes trying to gather his courage to proceed. "You owe me no apology... not in the least..." She starts to shake her head at him and opens her mouth to protest but he puts a hand up. "No no... just hear me out."

She gives him a curt nod and he continues. "It is true. I did want to go back to our world. I did in fact think that leaving you behind was best seeing as how this is the only world you have ever known but I was foolish to think I could actually go through with it. You were right." He pauses for a moment giving her an earnest smile. "I was trying to run away from... well they weren't exactly problems... they were more like challenges I was not expecting to face."

He sits up taller and gives a quick glace about the room before he leans forward, clasping his hands together. "When we were first told of the curse and how it might be broken I can tell you that the furthest thing from my mind was what would happen when I came to see you again after that twenty eight years had come to pass. The thought never occurred to me that I would find myself in a world where you had grown up learning to defend yourself, learning to cope without... well not without me but without both your mother and I."

Emma slightly slouches where she still sits on that end table. She gives him a sad smile but waits for him to continue. "Then when Anton told us that we might be able to go back I felt a little relieved and suddenly I wanted that to happen as quickly as it could. I wanted to leave before you got back. I wanted to leave you knowing that things would be fine because you didn't need me. You didn't need us to take care of you. I mean look at all you've done without us. Look at how you've grown up. You... you're nothing I expected you to be. You turned out better than I could ever have imagined." His eyes tear as he has never been one to hide his emotions.

Emma reflected the same tear-filled eyes at hearing these words but grimaces before she shares her own thoughts with him. "Just because I don't need you to take care of me... that doesn't mean I don't need you in my life." She manages to say just above a whisper. "I mean I almost gave up looking for you both and here you are. I don't want you to go. I don't want to be without you both now. I was mad at you for trying to leave me behind. I mean I know why you did it the first time but..." She shuts her eyes trying to hold in those tears. She breathes in deeply and releases it in a sigh. "When Snow finally told me about all this magic bean nonsense I just thought, _why didn't anyone asking me if I want to go_? I mean I don't want to... but I would rather go somewhere I don't want to be than be without you again. If you both really want to go back then..."

"No Emma... no..." He shuffles off the couch to kneel down in front of her taking one of her hands in his before he continues to speak in a rush. "My mind is made up. I am not going to run away. Not from your mother. Not from Henry. Not from you. I'm sorry that I even thought about leaving. I'm not leaving you. I will not leave any of you behind. I belong where my family is. We stick together and that's final." He says smiling up at her, the tears flowing freely from his bright eyes.

Emma laughs through her own tears and slowly bends down to wrap her arms around him. Surprised by this he doesn't react right away but when he finally reaches up to wrap his arms around her his eyes meet those of his wife who was now standing in the living room with happy tears streaming down her smiling face.

****That was sort of a longwinded chapter... in my opinion anyway.**

**This story ran its course. There was yelling... a lot of yelling. There was misplaced anger and confrontation and now everyone is calm again. So I feel like this is where it ends folks.**

**This was my longest running fic as far as chapters and my first on the angst side of the spectrum. It has been totally fun to write!**

**Thanks again for all the Reads, Reviews, and follows. The response was unexpected but greatly appreciated. I would love to hear any final thoughts as well.**

**I hope inspiration strikes and springs forth in the form of new stories. Thanks for sticking around. :)****


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